The issue of retention is a persistent problem in higher education. For the past 100 years, the institutional graduation rate has stubbornly held at the 50 percent mark: half of all students entering higher education fail to realize their dreams and aspirations based on earning a certificate or degree. For students of color in particular, the…

As educators we must act with knowledge and purpose to make sure young children acquire the skills and understanding they need to succeed. Planful, intentional teachers keep in mind the key goals for children's learning and development in all domains by creating supportive environments, planning curriculum, and selecting from a variety of teaching…

It's a simple fact: Doing the best job possible with linguistically and culturally diverse students, a strong foundation in how best to teach both science and language is needed. This comprehensive guide will expand expertise in teaching science content and processes, in language development and literacy, and in inquiry-based teaching. Plus it…

This booklet contains examples of volunteer projects related to solid waste management as developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whose mission is to protect human health and the natural environment. EPA's Office of Solid Waste (OSW) promotes volunteerism and community service programs for people of all ages. A variety of…

This study examined the impact on learning of the integration of computer-based technology (CBT). The study focused on six New South Wales (Australia) government schools that were at different stages of development of the integration of CBT. Data were gathered through classroom observations and structured interviews with key personnel, students,…

This report describes a curriculum reform project conducted at Spokane Community College (Washington), which has extensive vocational programs and a high percentage of non-traditional students. The purpose of the project was to develop and test a series of student Learning Activity Packets (LAPs), which introduce fundamental chemistry concepts by…

In a complex domain such as economics, elementary school students' knowledge of formal systems beyond their immediate experience is often too incomplete, superficial, and disorganized to function as schema or model. However, visual imagery is a good technique for teaching young children a network of 10 to 20 propositions and the relationships…

This paper examines how well teachers are integrating computers across their curriculum. A survey was distributed to elementary school teachers who taught kindergarten through fifth grade (six teachers for each grade, except kindergarten which had three). A total of 60 survey questions measured teachers' impressions of their affect, knowledge,…

This book is a resource for teachers that contains 28 exercises and planned activities designed by individual authors that can be used to teach about culture, ethnicity, and diversity. The exercises and activities are appropriate for graduate, college, and even advanced high school students in such classes as cross-cultural psychology,…

This book outlines an approach to putting course content on the Web. It explains how to make current course materials Web-ready and describes Web-enabled teaching tools that educators may not currently use but that they might wish to incorporate into the teaching approach. The book explains how to combine these materials and tools to create a…

This curriculum guide is intended for teachers of students in grades 4-8 and may be used as supplementary lessons, especially for science and social studies. The guide is divided into four major sections, a glossary, and large appendix. Sections include: (1) Sources of Resources; (2) Sources of Wastes; (3) Integrated Waste Management; and (4)…

This paper provides tips and suggested activities for an online course in psychology. It describes the steps needed to start planning an Internet course and various features that are important to the success of the course (i.e., technical support, learning participation in discussions). Possible problems with computer-mediated instruction are also…

This paper presents an overview of the fundamental characteristics of the teaching and learning environment of a computer language class course designed for college-level engineering and computer science education. Characteristics include training teachers, student evaluation, learning environment, and integrating disciplines. (Contains 16…

In 1996, the Pew Charitable Trusts gave 4-year grants to seven urban school districts to help implement standards-based systemic reform. Several times each year, researchers conducted interviews to track progress in their reform efforts. This report synthesizes findings across all 4 years of the Pew Network. Overall, Network sites worked hard to…

When developing curriculum materials for new contexts, designers feed forward work from similar projects. This customization process must attend to various influences to determine how features from previous efforts will be emphasized and combined. This paper discusses resources and ideas that influenced the design of the RiverWeb Water Quality…